Terrified residents are demanding something is done at a dangerous accident blackspot in Park Street "before someone is killed".

Campaigners have hit out at the lack of safety measures at the junction between Penn Road and Tippendell Lane, saying speeding drivers have had countless accidents and near misses in the past two years.

Doriel Watson, 53, who rents the horse field opposite the busy junction, recently gathered more than 100 signatures in support of her campaign for speed cameras or speed bumps to installed.

Mrs Watson, who has lived in Penn Road since 1981 said: "We have had countless cars hurtle through our fence in the past two years.

"There have been a number of accidents and little mishaps here - it is every couple of weeks.

"Drivers ignore the 30mph speed limit and come zooming down from the roundabout on the dual carriageway around the bend and lose control, going in to the centre of the road. They don’t realise they should be slowing down and don’t brake quickly enough.

"Are Hertfordshire County Council going to wait until somebody is killed before something gets done?

"Is it going to be a child crossing the road, or will it be my grandson coming out for a ride on my daughter’s horse?"

In the most recent incident, a car smashed through the field’s fence on Saturday morning, just missing two horses grazing on the field. This was the day after Hertfordshire Highways informed Mrs Watson speed deterrents would not be installed at the junction.

In December last year, a woman passenger was left seriously injured after crashing at the junction, while the driver had to be cut out of her car after losing control at the wheel.

A "best kept village" sign on a grass verge near the junction was knocked down last year, while Mrs Watson’s daughter had her car written off while parked by the field in July.

The mother-of-three said: "The day after I am told Hertfordshire Highways are ignoring my concerns, there’s another crash here - it’s a joke.

"The council keep building houses everywhere, but don’t do anything with the road to deal with the traffic."

The health and safety and protection officer for South West Hertfordshire Pony Club continued: "Something like this is beyond my control and it is very frustrating. I am very disappointed that the council can ignore the priority of safety."

Barbara Costelloe, who has lived in Penn Road for 50 years, said: "Somebody will be killed here before long.

"There has been no end of awful accidents. They need to put something there to stop drivers going round the corner so fast, some sort of speed deterrent.

"Drivers use it as a short cut and come round the corner like mad things.

"It is disappointing they have ignored our petition because it is a very, very dangerous junction."

When contacted by the St Albans & Harpenden Review, Simon Hoggett, a Hertfordshire County Council representative said the council recognised it was "desirable" to address all road safety concerns, however "potential works must be prioritised, with funding for schemes limited to those areas where the works have the greatest benefit".

He continued: "Local county councillor Aislinn Lee has nominated this site as a priority for St Stephen’s Division and asked council officers to undertake a speed survey funded from the Highway Locality Budget.

"This data will be analysed and combined with observations made from site, into a full response to Councillor Lee and the lead petitioner."